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Kepa Bush Reserve

Park address

9 Colenso Place, Mission Bay

About the park

Kepa Bush Reserve lies on the slopes of Purewa Creek that flows past Orakei Basin into Hobson Bay. The 13.6 ha reserve is a peaceful pocket of native bush day or night, dazzling with bird life during the day and serene with glow-worms in the gully near the main entrance at night.

The reserve honours the memory of Te Rangihiwinui Kepa (Major Kemp) who fought for government forces against Te Kooti, Titokowaru and Tamaikowha during the land wars of the 1860s. In 1841 the crown bought the area from Maori and three years later Bishop Selwyn purchased 150 hectares as a site for St John’s Theological College.

As well as noting the land’s potential for farming and good access to the sea via Purewa Creek, the Bishop felt the site was a healthy distance from the temptations of the town. Kepa Bush was established in 1962 when Auckland City bought the site from the theological college.